North-South vulnerable. East deals.

North-South vulnerable. East deals.

NORTH

x10 6 4

uA 10 9 6

vA 9

wK Q 5 4

WEST EAST

xK J 8 xQ 9 7

uK 4 uQ 8 3 2

v10 8 3 vQ 7 5 4

wJ 10 9 8 6 w3 2

SOUTH

xA 5 3 2

uJ 7 5

vK J 6 2

wA 7

The bidding:

EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH

Pass 1v Pass 1u

Pass 1NT Pass 3NT

Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: Jack of w

Consider this deal from a pair event at the recent Summer North American Championships in Las Vegas. It highlights the importance of overtricks at this form of scoring.

The auction is straightforward. With two balanced hands of 13 and 14 points and no eight-card major-suit fit, three no trump was reached in short order.

West led the jack of clubs and declarer, Mark Itabashi of Murietta, Calif., won in hand with the ace and led the five of hearts to the nine and the queen. With nothing better to do, East returned a club to the queen. Declarer cashed the ace of diamonds and finessed the jack of diamonds. When that held, he continued with the jack of hearts, covered by the king and taken by dummy’s ace.

A low spade from dummy was ducked to West, who persisted with a club to the king, and East was feeling the pressure. The defender sluffed a spade and, after some thought, South found the winning play — he discarded the blocking seven of hearts.

The rest was easy. A spade to the ace removed East’s exit card in that suit and South followed by cashing the king of diamonds and throwing East on lead with a diamond. East was forced to lead away from his 8 3 of hearts into dummy’s 9 6, giving South a 10th trick.

How important was the overtrick? It gave North-South a joint top score instead of an average.

2008 Tribune Media Services